Why Do You Even Care?
by HashtagMC
Summary: Nico just can't accept that Will Solace genuinely cares for him, and that Will wants to be his friend. His boyfriend, to be precise. Rated T just to be sure. Until Trials of Apollo will be released, this story is canon-conform.
1. Introduction

**Author's note (AN):** There are a few things I'd like to say before you start reading:

This is my first romance fanfiction, my first Percy Jackson fanfiction, and my first English fanfiction, so please see over grammar / spelling issues. I used a spell checker and a dictionary (English / GB), more I cannot do

Nonetheless, don't spare me with (critical) reviews and feedback. Tell me what I can improve in further stories.

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the king of cliffhangers.**

 **Disclaimer: The laurel wreath on the cover was made by the Wikimedia User _'dalovar'_ and is available under a CC0 (Public Domain) license.**

* * *

 **Nico**

"What did you say to Percy? He looks totally confused!" Will asked when Nico came back. "Doesn't he always?" Nico retorted, then changed the subject. "You prescribed me three days of bed rest, so show me my place to sleep before I change my mind."

Will led Nico to a room in the infirmary. "That's were you're going to sleep for the next three days. I'll go check up my other patients. Try not to turn into a ghost, Death Boy." He left before Nico could say a word.

When Will had left the room, Nico sat down at the bed. What had he been thinking when he agreed to stay here? No way he could bear three days of, well, "confinement" in here. And on top of that, he was unsure about his feelings. Every time Solace smiled that sunshine-y way, his knees became weak.

He called himself to order. Will must be thinking of him as a monster, an inhuman, cold-blooded ass hole who had allowed Octavian's unintentional suicide, and was thus responsible for Leo Valdez' death. He was the son of Hades. Everybody was either scared or disgusted of him. Will's command to have three days of bed rest was just a doctor doing his job. No way he'd care about Nico di Angelo.

 **Will**

Will took a deep breath. He'd never noticed how much Nico's presence churned him up. When Nico had stated that he'd leave the camp, he had felt like he'd been thrown into a pool full of cold water, or like he'd been punched in the face.

Another deep breath. _Think, Will, think. You did_ _ **not**_ _fall for Nico di Angelo. You just care about him, that's it._ But he knew he was lying to himself. He had never felt like this before. His world seemed to brighten up when Nico was around, what was kind of ironically, since Nico spent more time with the dead then with the living.

A scream interrupted his thoughts. There were still many injuries to cure and lives to save. He couldn't afford distractions, not as long as people needed his help. But while he bandaged lacerations, put broken legs in splints, and treated wounds, he kept thinking about Nico's expression when they had faced Octavian. When he had told him he had friends at the camp.

When he fell into his bed this evening, he still couldn't get this image out of his head.


	2. Why Do You Even Care?

**Author's Note (AN):** Sorry for the **BOLD CAPS LOCK** , but I found it was the only way to convey the intensity of Nico's scream and the sorrow and rage that lies in it.

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the king of cliffhangers.**

* * *

 **Nico**

"Wake up, Death Boy! It's breakfast time." Nico opened his eyes. "Don't call me _Death Boy_ , Mr. Sunshine" he said, but only half-hearted. A part of him enjoyed Will saying these words, and he was angry about that. Why didn't the skeletal butterflies in his stomach bend to his will, like any other skeleton did? Reluctantly he left his bed.

"All right, are you ready for check up?" Nico rolled his eyes, but meekly put off his shirt when Will told him to. Will's eyes widened when he saw the scars Lycaon had left. "Good god, Nico, that must hurt like hell!" he said. "I can handle it" replied Nico, more rude than he intended. "No you can't. You obviously didn't turn into a werewolf, but I have to treat these wounds. Beware, this will hurt."

Nico clenched his fists. It indeed burned when Will treated the wounds, but finally he was done. "Can I go now?" he asked. He got the answer he expected. "You still owe me one and a half day of rest. By now, you'll go have breakfast. And I'll see if you don't eat enough, so be sensible and don't act as if we'd had to ration the food. I mean look at you, you are literally starving! Son of Hades or not, it'd be a shame, if you'd turn yourself into a skeleton, just because you don't watch your health."

Now Nico's rage forged ahead. " **WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE?** " he screamed. " **CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE? JUST IGNORE ME** **LIKE EVERYBODY** **ELSE DOES!** " Will looked stunned. For a second, it seemed he was about to say something, then he silently pointed at the door. "Go" he finally managed to say.

Nico ran into his cabin, launched himself onto the bed, and began to cry.

 **Will**

Will felt like Nico would've announced his impending death. Or even worse. He silently sobbed, while he mechanically trimmed bandages and prepared medicine for the rest of his patients. He should have known. Nico didn't want anybody around him. He didn't feel anything for him, he was just annoyed by Will's presence.

What did he expect? Nico had been born and raised in the 40s, and era of homophobia. If he'd confess his feelings to him, he'd probably turn his face away in disgust. On top of that, everybody would laugh at him.

He sighed. Maybe it was time to get some professional advice.


	3. Professional Advice

Author's Note (AN): So here's Piper's point of view on what will become Nico's and Will's relationship. Hope you like it.

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the Cliffhanger King.**

* * *

 **Piper**

Somebody was knocking on the door. Piper rolled her eyes. Yesterday she had said to Jason, only half jokingly, that she was thinking about establishing an official Aphrodite cabin bureau, like, _bring your own relationship problems. Office hours: 11am_ _to 1pm._

"Come in!" she called. The door swung open, and Will Solace poked his blonde head into the room. "Will" Piper said. "How can I help you?", although she was pretty sure she knew what his problem was. Besides her friends, everybody who came needed her advice regarding relationships.

It kind of annoyed her, to be seen only as "the love goddesses daughter", but she truly believed what she had said to Drew on her second day at Camp Half-Blood: Being a daughter of Aphrodite had nothing to do with breaking hearts.

Reluctantly, Will took a seat opposite to her. For half a minute, none of them said a word. Then he blurted out with his problem:

"It's about Nico. I… I don't know what I feel for him, but I know that I do feel something. I'm not sure if it is beyond friendship, but Nico just won't accept that there are people that'd like to be friends with him. He is either reserved or rude, he refuses all attempts to establish a friendly relationship with him. He, he snapped out when I tried to explain to him that I do care about him."

Piper thought for a few seconds. "What do you think it is? Friendship, or love?" She carefully asked.

"I'm not sure." he said. She patiently waited for him to continue talking. "When he's around, I feel happy, everything seems to brighten up. When somebody hurts him, I want to protect him, I can't stop thinking about him…"

"Will" She gently said "I think I can tell you are in love." She made a break. Although she had known it for a long time, she couldn't tell him about Nico's orientation, because Jason asked her to keep that as a secret. "Just… go to him and try to explain to him, that and why you care about him." She put a little charmspeak into her words, just enough to give him some extra confidence. "I can't promise it will work, but, you know… Aphrodite likes complicated relationships, but she likes happy ends even more. Maybe he loves you back."

He stood up. "Thanks Piper" he said, then left the room.


	4. Did you just ask me out?

**AN:** I think it's interesting to describe the same event from two different points of view. Enjoy reading!

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all the characters and quotes from it are the property of Rock Riordan, the Cliffhanger King.**

* * *

 **Nico**

Somebody knocked on the door. "Go away!" he called. "Nico! Please let me in!" he sat up. That was Will, no doubt about it. Had he come to give him a chance to apologize? Or to laugh at him? He sighed, then he got up and opened the door. Will stood outside, and looked as if he had cried.

"Will, I, I'm sorry for snapping out on you like that. It's just…" his voice crackled. He sat down on his bed and couldn't keep himself from crying again.

"Nico… I've been trying to tell you that I care about you for a week or so. I just want you to understand… I'd like to be your friend. Or…" he cleared his throat and squatted down in front of Nico, so his face was on a level with Nico's. "Or even… more than a friend" he whispered.

Nico's heart was racing. He wasn't sure if he had heard right. "Did you just… ask me out?" he incredulously asked. Will's face changed to a pained expression. "If you… don't want to-" he was interrupted when Nico grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss.

 **Will**

Will knocked on the door of the Hades cabin. He could hear Nico call "Go away!" from the inside. "Nico! Please let me in!" he yelled. He heard footsteps, and Nico opened the door. He seemed to have cried, too. He immediately began to stammer excuses until his voice crackled and he sat down and began to cry. Will took up his courage and began speaking.

"Nico… I've been trying to tell you that I care about you for a week or so. I just want you to understand… I'd like to be your friend. Or…" he made a little break, cleared his throat, and squatted down. "Or even… more than a friend" he whispered.

Nico's face showed an expression of disbelief. Will's courage fell. "Did you just… ask me out?" Nico asked. His voice, his body language, everything signaled rejection, or so it seemed to Will. He grimaced and said the words he was afraid of. "If you… don't want to-" he couldn't speak further, because Nico grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. After a moment of astonishment, Will passionately kissed him back.


	5. Did you guys just-

**AN:** I think that's one thing almost **all** Solangelo (don't like this abbreviation) stories have in common: Jason, the overprotective brother, who threats Will to treat Nico right. Oh, and of course interruptions when they are (about to) kiss.

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the Cliffhanger King.**

* * *

 **Nico**

When they both were out of breath, Will gently pulled back. Will gently wiped away the tears on Nico's face. Nico was sure that his face had the colour of a tomato. He plucked up the courage to ask "Will… would you like to… be my boyfriend?"

A grin spread across Will's face. _That's it_ Nico thought. _I screwed it. Now the whole camp is going to laugh at me._ "I just wanted to ask the same question to you" Will said. "You mean…" Nico couldn't believe what he just had heard. "I'd love to be your boyfriend, Nico, and I love you" Will replied, pulling him in for another kiss.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Jason and Percy entered the room. Will and Nico instantly pulled away from each other. "There you are!" Jason grinned at Nico. "We've been looking for you all…" he stopped when he noticed Will. "Wait, did you guys just" "Jason… Percy…" Nico cut him off. He grabbed Will's hand. "Meet my boyfriend, Will Solace."

Percy's jaw dropped. Jason's expression darkened. He grabbed Will and dashed him against the wall, ignoring Nico's shocked expression.

"Listen up, Solace" he hissed. "I'm happy for you and him, but I swear, the day you hurt him, I'll impale you with a lightning bolt. Unless one of my friends kills you first. Understood?"

Will looked terrified. "Listen, Grace, I'd never-" "Understood?" "I got it!" Jason dropped him, and we would've fallen if Nico didn't catch him.

Nico glared at Jason. "Was that really necessary?" he scolded. "I just had to make sure-" Jason tried to explain. Nico cut him off and turned towards Percy, whose face still showed an expression of disbelief. "What's your problem?" he rudely asked. Percy obviously felt very uneasy. "Well, er, I'm not your type, but he is?" he asked. Will frowned.

"What's he talking about?" he asked. Nico took a deep breath and took Will's hand. "Until about a year ago" he began "I used to have a crush on Percy."

Will looked dazed. "You mean…" Nico continued talking. "I don't feel that way any more. That's what I told him at the camp fire."

An awkward silence fell. Finally, Will started to speak. "So that's why he looked so confused? I mean" he teased "more confused than he usual does."

Percy shot him an angry look. "Watch your mouth, Solace. Nico's boyfriend or not, I can still turn you into a puddle of water."


	6. Was that shadow-traveling?

**AN:** I wasn't sure how to describe shadow-travelling, and I'm sure other people already did, I just needed a way to get Nico and Will to the beach without them being seen by everyone and everybody. So I hope you don't mind the short description. Enjoy reading :)

Oh, and from chapter 8 the chapters are longer, like 600 words.

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the Cliffhanger King.**

* * *

 **Will**

Will felt so relieved, he didn't even notice the burden he had carried until now. Jackson's threats just bounced off him. Nico was his boyfriend. The person he cared the most about loved him back. He felt like, running around, hugging everybody, but he didn't want to make Nico jealous on 'everybody'. He felt like he was floating.

He rose his head when Nico cleared his throat. "Percy, Jason, would you please leave me alone? Now that you know about me and Will, I'd like to tell Hazel and Reyna, too. And please, don't tell anybody except Piper and Annabeth. I'd like to see the expression on everyone's face myself" he grinned.

After Jason and Percy had left the room, Will looked at Nico questioningly. "Should I leave too?" he asked. Nico kissed him on the cheek, despite the fact he had to stand on his tiptoes to reach it. "Of course not. It's hard to introduce your boyfriend to your family when he's not there."

He took Will's hand. Suddenly, they were surrounded by shadows, before the materialized at the beach of the Long Island Sound. It was drizzling. Will was confused, but once he understood what had just happened, he got mad. "Was that shadow travelling? I told you not to!" he scolded. Nico waved his hand in an attempt to calm him down. Fruitlessly. "That's just about hundred meters! We could've got here by foot!" he ranted, until Nico effectively shut him up with a kiss.

Nico dug a golden drachma out of his pocket. "Be glad I didn't try to travel to Camp Jupiter, Sunshine" he teased. "Why couldn't we send an Iris message from your cabin?" Will asked. "The only way to create a rainbow in my cabin is the bathroom sink. And I don't think that the bathroom is the right place to tell my sister I'm dating you, is it?"

He threw the drachma into the sea, towards the rainbow in the sky. "Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering. Show me Hazel Levesque at Camp Jupiter." he intoned. "Would you step aside for a few seconds while I talk to her?" he asked. Will did.


	7. I hear you have a boyfriend?

**AN:** I recently read another story that mentioned a Rachel-Reyna-relationship, and I thought it would be nice to mention that.

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the Cliffhanger King**.

* * *

 **Nico**

An image of Hazel appeared in the air. Nico took a deep breath. He wasn't exactly sure how Hazel would react. Like him, she had been raised in the 40s, and he didn't know about her stance on homosexual relationships.

"Hazel!" he said. She turned around, surprised to see him. "Nico! What is it? Did something happen?" She looked worried. "Don't worry, I'm fine." he assured her.

He took a deep breath. "I have a friend. A boyfriend." he grabbed Will by the hand and dragged him to his side. He grinned. "Say hello to my sis, Sunshine." Hazel looked surprised at first, but then she smiled. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted when the door of her room opened. Nico squinted at the Iris message. "Is that Reyna? I'd like to talk to her, too" he said.

It was Reyna. Hazel mumbled some unintelligible words to her. Reyna stepped closer and smiled at Nico. "I hear you have a boyfriend?" She asked. "That's right" Nico answered. "No need to threaten him with death if he leaves me, Jason already did that." he added. Reyna winked at Will. "You better treat him right. It'll be hard to hold Jason back if he gets upset."

Will pretended to be aggrieved. "I'm a healer, hurting people isn't my job. I'm the one who patches 'em together after Grace finished them." he grinned. "Besides, I love Death Boy too much to hurt him." He wrapped his arm around Nico's waist. Nico shoved him. "Don't call me Death Boy, Sunshine!" he retorted.

He turned towards the Iris message again. "Of course you can tell Frank" he said towards Hazel "but I'd like to keep it as a secret until tomorrow." Reyna put her hand up. "Can I tell Rachel?" She asked. "Because, err" she blushed "she's my new girlfriend, and…" She trailed off. Nico smiled. "Of course you can tell her. Just tell Rachel and Frank not to spread any rumours, okay?"

They promised to tell their respective girl- or boyfriend, and Nico waved his arm through the image to quit the broadcast. For fifteen minutes, Nico and Will just stood there, watching the sunset and holding hands. Neither of them said a word.

Eventually, Will cleared his throat.

 **Will**

Will cleared his throat. "We should go back to the camp" he said. "We don't want them to start searching for us. And I have to check on my patients in the infirmary, and you need to get some bed rest. You still owe me one day there. And now that you shadow-travelled, I think it'll be another week until I can allow you to leave your bed" he smiled mischievous.

Nico rolled his eyes, but followed Will back into the infirmary and his room. They both had missed the diner, but they couldn't care less. "Need a goodnight kiss Death Boy?" Will teased. "Sun has set, Sunshine, now be a good son of Apollo and go to bed" Nico retorted. Will kissed him on the cheek, then he turned out the light and left the room.


	8. You placed bets if we kiss?

**AN** **:** I thought placing bets on Will and Nico's kiss(es) would be typical for Camp Half-Blood, the Stolls, and the Aphrodite cabin. Enjoy reading :)

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the Cliffhanger King**.

* * *

 **Nico**

The next morning, Nico wake up and just felt happy. For a few seconds, he didn't know why, but then he remembered the previous day. Oh gods, he had kissed Will. And Will was his boyfriend. He considered it too good to be true, so he turned around to dream that dream again, when a head with blonde hair caught his eye. It took him a moment to realize that Will was sleeping in a camp bed next to his bed.

Could it be, that yesterday really had happened? While he was still thinking, the blonde hair started to talk. "You slept well?" Will asked, while turning around. "You bet" Nico replied. "No bad dreams?" Will asked. Nico grinned. "I dreamed of you, that's not exactly a bad dream."

Will rose from his bed. "Jason, Piper, Annabeth and Percy were here to visit you, but you were" he winked "hibernating."

Nico frowned. What did Will mean by that? "Why do you say 'hibernate'?" he asked, suspecting he had slept longer than usual. His suspicion turned out to be true when Will opened his mouth and started to talk. "While you were dreaming of me, you slept three days."

Nico felt stunned. Three days. He had slept for three f****** days. "But why?" he asked. "Well, I had a reason to forbid any underworld-y stuff, hadn't I? Shadow-traveling from your cabin to the beach exhausted you a lot."

A horn blew in the distance. Will offered Nico his hand and pulled him out of his bed. "Wake up, Death Boy. It's breakfast time" he said, repeating the same words he'd said four days ago.

 **Will and Nico**

Will waited outside while Nico changed. When he left his room, he didn't wear his usual black skulls-and-bones-motif-shirt, but the white shirt Will had prepared for him. Will felt a wave of joy, seeing him dressed and rested like this. He no longer looked like the scary boy he'd once been, but like a normal teenager. Maybe he was a bit skinny, but he definitively didn't look like one who spent more time with the dead than with the living.

Will offered him his hand, and Nico took it. They walked towards the dining pavilion, just another couple holding hands.

Well, not quite. Everywhere they went, campers giggled, or rubbed their eyes to make sure their eyes served them correctly. When they arrived at the pavilion, Drew Tanaka fell off the bench, and Nico was quite sure he'd seen some campers exchanging coins and placing bets on them.

As usual, the Stoll twins had the least respect. _If you'd try to make them write the word 'respect', they'd steal your pencil instead_ Will thought. "Could you two please make out?" Travis yelled. "If you kiss each other, Connor has to pay ten bucks to me."

Nico tried his best to look angry, but it was hard to frown while everybody was giggling. "You guys _bet_ if we kiss?" he asked, trying to sound angry. Then it hit him. How could they place bets on him and Will, if nobody was supposed to know about them. "Wait, how did you know about us?" he asked, although he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

One of the Aphrodite kids, he thought her name was Lacy, answered his question. "It was obvious! The only one not noticing it were you and Will!"

Nico was confused. So everybody except him and Will had known about their feelings for each other? He decided he didn't want to know more, and made his way to the Hades table. Will sat down next to him as if he'd never sit anywhere else. Somebody yelled at him. "Hey Will, don't you belong to the Apollo table?"

Will didn't even stop eating. "Annabeth sits next to her boyfriend, Piper sits next to her boyfriend, and I sit next to my boyfriend. What's the problem with that?" A collective "Oooh!" rose, together with some cheers.


	9. Make my son happy

**AN:** Unlike many in other stories, "my" Hades isn't an old-fashioned homophobic. He just wants that Nico is happy.

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the Cliffhanger King.  
**

* * *

 **Will**

When they were back at the infirmary, somebody knocked the door. Will, who was taking care of Nico's werewolf cuts, called "Come in!" without interrupting his work. He didn't turn around to see who it was. A few minutes later, he was done. "You can sit up" he told Nico, then he turned around to see who their visitor was.

Next to the door, leaning against the wall, stood a man, wearing a black suit. Even without the bone-and-skulls-pattern on the tie, Will would've known it was Hades. He had the same kind of _"Don't mess with me or I'll turn you into a skeleton"_ -aura Nico sometimes had.

"Father" Nico said, looking not very pleased. "If you want to threaten Will to treat me right, you'll have to wait. You're number seventy-nine in the queue." Hades rose an eyebrow. "I can never tell if you're joking or not" he said. Nico rolled his eyes. "Do you really think an _infirmary_ is the right place for you?" he said.

Hades turned Will's direction, and Will grew pale. "Apollo couldn't come. Zeus is really mad at your father and doesn't allow him to leave Mount Olympus. Could you give me some time with my son?" Will nodded, and left the room, after he had given Nico a kiss on the cheek.

 **Nico**

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hades asked. Nico was surprised. Of all things he'd imagined his father would say, this was the one he'd least expect. "Tell you what?" he replied, although he knew what Hades meant. He got the answer he expected. "That you're interested in boys. I know, I'm far from being a perfect father, but I thought you'd trust me enough to tell me when something bothers you." His face looked really painfully. "I told you… I just want that you're happy. I want you to be an exception."

Nico suddenly felt bad for hurting his father. "I'm sorry" he muttered. "It's just… It was hard for me to accept myself, not to mention telling anybody else."

Hades put his hand on Nico's shoulder, and unlike he would've done a year ago, Nico didn't flinch. "Does he make you happy?" his father asked. "Yes. I haven't felt so happy for a long time." Nico answered without hesitation. Hades smiled. "I know you don't care about that, but… I wish you two good luck." he said. Nico looked at him in surprise. "Oh, and Apollo asked me to tell you to make his son happy, otherwise he's going to torture you with one of his Haikus." He winked at Nico. "That is, if your uncle ever allows him to leave Mount Olympus."

 **Will**

Will was afraid, Hades might have taken Nico with him to the underworld, and thus was relieved when Nico and his father left Nico's room. Will felt very uneasy when he saw Hades walk towards him. Hades put his hands on Will's shoulder, and despite the fact Will was four inch taller than the God of the Death, he shivered. But his fear vanished when Hades began to speak.

"Will Solace… please make my son happy. I won't threat you, because I know, my nephew already did that" _His nephew?_ Will thought. _Oh right, Jason's father Zeus is Hades brother._ "I'm just wishing the best for my son, and for you." Will forced himself to look right into the god's eyes and was surprised to see genuine care about Nico in them. "Yes, Lord Hades" he managed to say. Hades smiled and let go of Will's shoulders. "Isn't that address a bit too formal for your boyfriend's father?" he asked. The he walked away, vanishing into the shadows.


	10. Wanna watch a meteor storm with me?

**AN:** The term "boyfriends orders" is a reference to a Solangelo fanfic of that name, one I really like. The meteor swarm is a reference to Jason and Pipers first kiss (the mist trick and the one from Blood of Olympus).

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the Cliffhanger King.**

* * *

 **Nico**

Four days later, Will finally allowed Nico to leave the infirmary. The next few weeks passed by without anything interesting or exciting. Hazel had send him a message and announced that she and Reyna would come to visit Camp Half-Blood, together with their girl- and boyfriends. Saturday at noon, Nico and Will, Percy and Annabeth, Jason and Piper were waiting on top of Half-Blood Hill for their friends to arrive. Near them stood a fistful of demigods who would move to Camp Jupiter as part of the exchange program.

Two black SUVs made their way down the road, and stopped at the foot of the hill. Reyna and Rachel left the first one, Frank and Hazel climbed out of the second one. Argus supervised the exchange-program-group putting their bags into the cars.

The group from Camp Jupiter made its way uphill. When they arrived, Hazel ran towards Nico and hugged him. He held her at arm's length. "You have grown" he realized. She smiled at him. Then she turned towards Will. "Nice to meet you" she said. He seized the proffered hand and gave her a winning smile. "Will Solace. Pleased to meet you."

Hazel smiled back, then stepped aside to give space to Reyna. Reyna gave Will a smile and shook his hand. Then she turned towards Nico and hugged him. "You look better, little brother – you don't mind me calling you that?" Nico rolled his eyes. "It seems siblings are on sale this week. Now with Hazel, you, and Jason, the overprotective brother, we'll run out of beds in the Hades cabin." She playfully shoved him. "Shut up, or you'll have to go to bed without dinner."

Will intervened. "No way he's going to miss a meal. He's got to eat. Doctor's orders. Or rather" he winked "boyfriends orders." Everybody laughed while they made their way to the big house.

 **Will**

Later that night, Will sneaked out of the Apollo cabin. After looking round to make sure there were no harpies nearby, he hushed to the Hades cabin. He knocked at the window next to Nico's bed.

"What are you doing here?" a half asleep Nico asked. "There's a meteor swarm tonight. I thought you might like to watch it with me." Will said. Nico nodded. "I'll be there in a second."

Will couldn't see inside the cabin, but a few moments later, Nico, now in his normal clothes, came back to the window. Will offered him his hand. "Jump. I'll catch you" he said. Nico tilted his head. "Seriously, Solace? Why can't I just use the door, like every human being does?"

Will pouted. "Aww, come on. Can you imagine something more romantically than jumping into your boyfriends arms?" He rose an eyebrow. "Or do you think I can't catch you?"

A sleepy voice came from the cabin. Hazels voice. "Nico, you aren't going out at midnight, are you? The harpies will catch you."

Will couldn't suppress a smile. "The harpies won't see us. Oh, and it's _making_ out, not going out." He couldn't see Nico's face, but he was sure that he had blushed. "Shut it, Solace!" he hissed. "You're so cute when you blush, did you know that?" Will teased. Nonetheless Nico did Will the favour and took his hand to climb out of the window. Will beamed.

That night they sat at the beach, kissed, and watched the meteors burn up. When the sun rose, they both were asleep in each others arms.


	11. Poor Frank!

**AN:** Poor Frank! Why is he always the one who finds a sleeping couple? *burst into laughter* Enjoy reading :)

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the Cliffhanger King.**

* * *

 **Nico**

"Err, Nico? Are you awake? I mean, err…" the voice trailed off.

No doubt, this embarrassed stammering could only be Frank. Reluctantly, Nico opened his eyes. Frank, his face as red as a tomato, stood above him and Will.

Him and Will, sleeping in each others arms. In each others arms, at the beach. Oh shit.

Frank looked as embarrassed as possible. "Why does this always happen to me?" he whined. Nico remembered that he had heard rumours about Percy and Annabeth sleeping in the Pegasi stables, and involuntary smiled. Poor Frank. Sometimes it was hard to believe that Hazel was the one that was born in the 40s, because Frank definitely was prudish enough to come from the last century.

He tried to calm Frank down a bit. "Don't worry, we just fell asleep while we watched the meteors burn up" he said. "And we kissed all night" Will said. Seemingly he had only pretended to sleep. Nico rolled his eyes. "That wasn't very helpful, Sunshine."

 **Will**

Everybody they met on their way to the dining pavilion snickered. Everywhere people where whispering about them, but nothing of it mattered to Will. The only thing that mattered was Nico's hand in his.

The first time Will didn't have to remind Nico to eat properly. _He really has changed_ he proudly thought. Instead of shadows, he now radiated vitality and joy. If someone would've told him a month ago that he'd use these words in relation to Nico di Angelo, he wouldn't believed it.

At the head table, Chiron rose and asked for their attention. "Campers, dear guests, I am pleased to announce that we will organize a prom this evening to celebrate the friendship between our two camps once more. Bon appétit!"

A flash of inspiration popped up in Will's head. He'd have to talk about this idea with his half-siblings after the breakfast.

 **Nico**

Nico was surprised and a bit hurt when Will disappeared right after breakfast. He asked Piper if she had seen him, but she refused to talk about it and only said it was a surprise. Well, if Will was trying to surprise him, why would he complain? But he wasn't used to have free time. Since he had met Percy and Annabeth at Westover Hall, he had spent his time either fighting or fleeing, only interrupted with a short grace period between the two wars.

He ended up in the Hades cabin, staring at the drawer with his Mythomagic cards. He had never had the heart to trash them. His hand opened the drawer and pulled a batch of cards out of it. He began to shuffle the cards and deal them. He hadn't used them since Bianca had died.

He felt lonely. His thoughts drifted to Will. How nice it would be to sit here with Will, spend the afternoon playing cards…


	12. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You

**AN:** The song is "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" by The Beatles. Just **love** that song! Oh, and don't pun-ch me for all those stupid puns. Enjoy reading :)

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the Cliffhanger King.**

* * *

 **Will**

Buoyantly, Will made his way to the Hades cabin. Everything was prepared for the evening. He had talked to Kayla, Cecil and Lou Ellen and they had agreed to help him with his plan.

He opened the door of the cabin and his good mood vanished. Nico sat at the bed, his posture being a prime example for sadness. "Nico?" Will asked. He sat down next to his boyfriend and put his arm around Nico's shoulders.

When Nico spoke, his voice sounded oblivious. "The last time I played with these cards was the day I heard of my sister's death" he said. Only now Will noticed the cards the playing cards that laid on the table.

"Is that… Mythomagic?" Will asked incredulously. Nico shot him an angry look. "Don't get me wrong, I loved that game when I was younger" Will hastened to say. Nico's expression changed from anger to amazement. Will picked up a playing card (Zeus, lord of the sky). "Lightnings with 600 damage, right?"

"Would you… play one round Mythomagic with me?" Nico finally managed to say. "Sure, why not?" Will replied.

They ended up playing Mythomagic all afternoon. When the horn at the dining pavilion blew, they both startled. Will smiled to himself when he thought about the surprise he had prepared for Nico. And especially now, Nico could need some Solace.

 **Nico**

To play Mythomagic with Will had definitely cheered up Nico. But he couldn't understand why Will was chuckling all the way to the dining pavilion. They'd go to a prom to celebrate the Greek-Roman friendship. Great. Another feature-length event Nico wasn't interested in. But Chiron made it clear that it was mandatory.

The dining pavilion and it's surrounding was chock-full with people. Three of Will's friends were playing instruments. Cecil from Cabin Eleven played the drums, Kayla from Cabin Seven held a microphone in her hand, and Lou Ellen from Cabin Twenty tuned an electric guitar.

Nico didn't see that Will nodded at Lou Ellen, who nudged Cecil and whispered with Kayla. What he did see was Will who grabbed his waist and turned him around so they were face-to-face. "Would you dance with me?" Will asked. Nico looked at him in disbelief. "Did you just suggest to dance?" he asked. "Sure, why not?" Will replied. "Where there's a Will, there's a way."

Nico rolled his eyes. "I should pun-ch you for that stupid pun" he answered. Will pouted. "Aww, come on, just one dance?" he begged, with puppy dog eyes. "Fine" Nico agreed. "One dance. Not more."

Will put his hands at Nico's waist, and Nico wrapped his arms around Will's neck. Lou Ellen stroke the first chord, Cecil began to play, and Kayla began to sing a song from the 60s.

 _Before this dance is through_

 _I think I'll love you too_

 _I'm so happy when you dance with me_

Nico and Will slowly danced through the room

 _I don't wanna kiss or hold your hand_

 _If it's funny, try and understand_

 _There's really nothing else I'd rather do_

 _'Cause I'm happy just to dance with yourself_

As if he intended to prove the first line a lie, Will kissed Nico as they danced.

 _I don't need to hug or hold you tight_

 _I just wanna dance with you one night_

 _In this world there's nothing I would rather do_

 _'Cause I'm happy just to dance with you_

Instead of looking bothered, Nico was smiling now.

 _Just to dance with you_

 _Is everything I need_

 _Before this dance is through_

 _I think I'll love you too_

 _I'm so happy when you dance with me_

Everybody was looking at them now, but Nico couldn't have cared less.

 _If somebody tries to take my place_

 _Let's pretend we just can't see his face_

 _In this world there's nothing I would rather do_

 _'Cause I'm happy just to dance with you_

All that mattered to Nico was him and Will dancing.

 _If somebody tries to take my place_

 _Let's pretend we just can't see his face_

 _In this world there's nothing I would rather do_

 _I've discovered I'm in love with you_

 _'Cause I'm happy just to dance with you_

As the last beats faded out, Nico pulled Will closer and kissed him. Everybody applauded and cheered. Nico looked around. About one-hundred-and-fifty people stood around them and applauded. Nico blushed. He didn't like attention.


	13. Just scars - Will you marry me?

**AN:** I think that's the worst chapter, but imagine the problem of describing the process of proposing to someone in a language that isn't your first language. I did all I could. Enjoy reading :)

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the Cliffhanger King.**

* * *

 **Two years later**

 **Will**

After dinner, Will checked at the Hades cabin if Nico had come back. A few days ago, he had traveled to the underworld to help his father with some ghosts. He had said that he'd be back at his birthday, in other words, today.

To Will's pleasant surprise, Nico was back. When Will opened the door, he could hear his boyfriend sing in the bathroom. A few minutes later, Nico left the shower, wrapped in a towel. A smile spread across Nico's grin when he saw Will. Will smiled, too. "Welcome home, Death Boy" he teased. Nico shoved him. "Don't call me Death Boy, Sunshine" he replied.

When Nico turned around and slipped into his clothes, Will saw the new scars on his back. His smile disappeared. "These scars, where did you get them?" he demanded to know. Nico shrugged. "Angry ghosts."

"You know what that means. Infirmary. Now. Doctor's-" "-Orders, I know" Nico sighed. "Gods, when you switch on that 'doctor's-orders'-mode of yours, you're really annoying. It's just scars."

Will rolled his eyes. "Better spend some days in the infirmary than die because of 'just scars', right?" He opened his arms wide and embraced Nico. "I'd rather have an annoyed Death Boy than a dead Death Boy" he mumbled into Nico's ear and ruffled Nico's hair. "But before we go" he let go and, to Nico's surprise, knelt down.

"Nico, you're the most wonderful person I've ever met" he began. "I love you, since the day I took your hand on the Half-Blood hill. I hope you love me, so…" He took up his courage and put a small box out of his pocket. "Nico, will you marry me?"

Nico looked surprised at first, his mouth shaping a perfect 'O', then he threw his arms around Will. "Yes" he whispered into Will's ear, tears of happiness dropping across his face. Will hugged him tight. "Happy Birthday, Nico" he whispered. He carefully put the ring he had bought on Nico's finger.

The door flew open and Hazel stormed into the cabin. "Nico! You're back!" She gave Will an apologizing smile. "Did I interrupt you?"

Nico freed himself from her hug and took her hand. "Hazel… Will and I are going to marry." Her reaction surprised both of them. She walked towards Will and hugged him. "Congratulations! Does anyone else already know?" she asked. Nico shook his head. She smiled. "I got good news, too. It's not official yet, but Percy allowed me to tell you. Annabeth is expecting. I never said this, but I wouldn't be surprised if they'd ask you to be the godparents."

Nico took Will's hand and pointed towards the door. "Come on, let's tell the others. Jason has to renew his 'treat him right'-threats, remember?" They were still laughing when they left the cabin.


	14. The Happy End

**AN:** The marriage scene is kind of inspired by another story I read (I'll add the name as soon as I remembered it). And because Silena Beauregard was a real hero, I decided that Percy and Annabeth would name their daughter after her.

 **Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the Cliffhanger King.**

* * *

 **New Rome, another year later**

 **Nico**

"Something will go wrong. Maybe an asteroid hits the temple, or Gaea rises again, or he says no, or…" Nico gasped when Hazel put her hand on his mouth to shut him up. "Relax, Nico. Nothing like that will happen. Calm down."

 **Will**

"What if he says no? Or if a lightning bolt destroys the temple? Or if-" Will's half-sister Kayla rolled her eyes. "Will, be reasonable. Everything will be fine. Relax."

 **Nico and Will**

"I do."

Jason, wearing his _Pontifex-Maximus_ -robe, closed the book. "You hereby are man and husband. You may now kiss the groom."

No further motivations were needed. Nico and Will had a long, passionate kiss. Everybody applauded and cheered. Piper hugged Nico and Will, Leo gave them a thumbs-up, and Thalia gave them a smile. Percy and Annabeth where there with their daughter, Silena Jackson; Coach Hedge, Mellie and Chuck; Reyna and Rachel, who had married a few months ago; Frank and Hazel; and all of their other friends. Hades and Apollo were there too, and Chiron and even Mr. D., although Nico suspected that Chiron had been dragging Mr. D. into the church. But that didn't matter.

Nico was finally married to the love of his life.

* * *

 **The (Happy) End**


	15. Final Author's Notes

**Final Author's Notes:**

* * *

I think the chapters with Hazel, and the one with Will proposing to Nico, really suck, maybe I'll rewrite them some day. I intentionally kept the wedding scene short, because if I would've written a longer one, it would have inevitable become a duplicate of the one in _How Not To Get Your OTP Together_ (that story is really funny! Check it out!).

I really wanted to depict Hades as a loving Dad, one who cares about his son's luck, and not about the gender of his son's partner. I hope I achieved that, because in many stories, Hades is depicted as an old-fashioned homophobic, and I don't like that.

Maybe I'll consider writing a Reyna-Rachel-story, because I think they really fit together, and unless Thalia-Nico, Artemis-Percy and whatsoever (those stories really exist!), Reyna-Rachel is canon-conform (that's important to me).

I hope you enjoyed reading this story :)


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